Reflections on "When God Comes Down" Isaiah 64: 1-12; Mark 13: 24-37

I am going to have to examine my sermon preparation process because recently the sermon preached in the chapel does not seem to work very well, then I do some tinkering between services, and it works much better at the sanctuary service.  

This was one of those sermons where I did begin with the Isaiah text, but then the sermon was more a response to the text than an exploration of the text.  I think if I had realized that sooner, I could have been more explicit in the sermon that I was using that approach.

I found the last illustration of the Kroger employee to be particularly powerful.

Peace,

Richard

“When God Comes Down” November 27, 2011; FPC, Troy; 1^st Advent; Isaiah 64 1-9; Mark 13: 24-37

Intro: We now are in that it seems like Christmas, but we know it is not yet Christmas time. As the Christmas carols beckon to us from crowded stores, we are not sure we are ready yet.

In the church we call this time Advent. The time of waiting and expectation. The time of preparing to hear the birth of Christ story anew and a time of looking toward when Christ will come again.

Frankly, I'm not even sure we in the church know what to do with Advent anymore.

We know the purple means it is Advent, but what do we do with texts like the one we read in Mark or the prophet Isaiah this morning?

Sometimes it feels like the church is in a tug-of-war with the stores over baby Jesus. Who has the right to baby Jesus?

Then it occurs to me that Advent makes the Christmas story more than a fairy tale. Advent invites us to discover again the depth and power of the God who sends Christ into the world. Without Advent, the Christmas story is just a tale about a baby and a manger; with Advent, we see the baby in the manger as God incarnate.

Move 1: when God comes down, God comes to the real world.

a. William Willimon: The other day someone told me about a friend who had been asked to preach in the church of one of the famous television preachers whom millions watch every Sunday. On the way from the airport, the guest received these instructions: “People worship with us in order to feel good about themselves. Therefore, don’t mention the cross in your sermon. And don’t dwell too much on sin.” William Willimon, sermon "going against the Stream," as found on http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1445

1. We recognize that desire for comfort.
2. For many of us, I suspect, one of the things we look forward to in Christmas are those moments when everything seems perfect, like a fairy tale.

c. But when we look to the biblical text, we find lots more than comfort –we find challenge and difficulties and hope to go along with comfort.

1. If you want to ignore the prophet Isaiah for a moment, think about the way the gospels depict the birth of Christ story.
2. Luke – shepherds, angels, angelic voices singing from the heavens; and every time an angel speaks, the angel begins with the admonition, “Be not afraid.” Obviously, the Gospel of Luke sees the coming of Christ as something that might evoke our fear.
3. Gospel of Matthew – adds wise men and their gifts, but as soon as the gifts are delivered Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus flee to Egypt to escape the murderous wrath of King Herod.
   4. God comes to the real world.
   5. Israelites to whom Isaiah prophesied knew destruction, the threat from enemies; they looked around and saw their own sinfulness. When Isaiah calls for God to come down, he calls for God to come down to the messiness of their world.
4. Think about our world

War in Afghanistan

Middle East in continual upheaval

People “occupying” many of our cities

Political world in gridlock in the United States

Countries near insolvency around the world

Black Friday stories of someone pepper spraying dozens of people so that she can get the item she desires; or robbers laying in wait in the early hours of the morning to rob people of the items they have just purchased.

500. We may at times want to retreat from the world to some idyllic vision Christ, but the god who comes in Christ comes to engage the engage and save the real world.
     1. The God who comes in Christ comes to broken, hurting people to save them.
     2. In other words, God comes down to save the world we know and to save us.

Move 2: Make no mistake, God will come down.

a. Isaiah imagines what it might be like for God to come down.

1. A powerful image of God tearing through the heavens.

2. fits with the Israelites story of God who comes down.
3. On Mt. Sinai, the cloudy, mysterious haze the descended and covered the top of the mountain.

4. The place that only Moses could dare to go.
5. And even Moses had to hide his face from God's presence.

b. The image Isaiah has of God breaking through the heavens resonated with the gospel descriptions of the coming of Christ.

1. The Gospel of Mark does not have a birth narrative, but begins with Christ being baptized. As we recall, when Christ is baptized, the heavens open open up and the voice of God rains down.

2. When Mark describes Christ's death on the cross, he uses the images of the curtain of the temple is torn open. Russell Rathbun, http://thehardestquestion.org/yearb/advent1ot-2/

3. A reminder that Isaiah's plea finds its answer in the coming of Christ.
3. The God who decides to come down, does so in the birth of Christ.

100. So we find ourselves living in this time between when God came in Christ and when God will come again.
     1. What are we to do in this waiting time?
     2. We hear the Gospel of Mark call on us to be vigilant, always expecting God to appear.
     3. How do we do live as vigilant followers of Christ?

Move 3: We live as people being shaped by God.

a. The prophet Isaiah offers the image of God working as the Potter with us as the clay.

1. God continually shaping us.
2. God at work even now calling us into discipleship.
3. God by the power of the Holy Spirit molding us as to live and serve in the world.

b. Meister Eckhart, 13^th century German mystic/theologian,  Meister Eckhart, 1260-1328, German Dominican monk :What good is it to me if the son of God was born to Mary 1400 years ago if Christ is not born again in my time and in my culture?

We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? And what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to His Son if I do not also give birth to Him in my time and my culture? This, then, is the fullness of time: when the Son of God is begotten in us. http://interruptingthesilence.com/tag/meister-eckhart/

b. God shaping us for lives of discipleship in which we bring Christ to bear in the world around us.

1. In a broken and hurting world, God sends us.
2. Into the lives of our grieving co-worker who is spending his first Christmas alone since his spouse died, God sends us.
3. In a world that promotes selfishness and greed, God sends us to to model self-giving and service to others.
4. In a world where sin and brokenness abound, God sends us with a message of forgiveness and grace.
5. We are continually being shaped by the God who lives among us to serve the world around us.

Conclusion: Story I heard last year that took place on Christmas Eve. The person was in the self-checkout line at Kroger this afternoon, about six people deep, when the guy in front of me started talking. He was twenty-two, I’m guessing, a good four inches taller than me, and in a Kroger uniform. He had one Christmas card in his hand. That was all. As we stood there, he began talking about how the management didn’t get why they needed more checkout stations and how they wanted to expand produce when the guy who has worked in produce for thirty-five years knew it was a big mistake and the stream of consciousness rant about the perils in produce and the catastrophe at checkout continued until without the slightest punctuation he said “and my dad died last March 11 and I’m the one who found him and Christmas used to be a really big deal to my family and I didn’t want to work today and now we’re all getting together and we don’t really know what to do.” The period on his run-on grief was the call to step up to the empty terminal and check out. He paid for his card, looked over his shoulder, said, “Merry Christmas,” and walked away.  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2010, Milton Brasher-Cunningham, Don't Eat Alone, http://donteatalone.blogspot.com

Advent reminds us that God comes down for all the people like that young man, people like us who need to know the God who finds us in the messiness of our lives and saves us.

"when God Comes Down" Isaiah 54: 1-9; Mark 13: 24-37

The First Sunday of Advent brings with it texts that speak to the apocalypse, when God will come again.  Mark's passage focuses on being vigilant as we wait, never knowing when God will come.  Isaiah calls for God to come down in powerful, dramatic ways.   


Some years I struggle with Advent -- should we focus on waiting and preparing, or just move on to themes surrounding Christmas.  This year as we hear from the prophet Isaiah, I am reflecting more on the prophetic, apocalyptic aspects of the Advent texts.  part of the challenge will be to make that theme meaningful to those who gather with expectations of hearing about Christmas all Advent.

As I have done some work on this sermon, I have found the following:


The pondering moves to praising God for being the only God in all the ages "who works for those who wait for him" (verse 4). Divine attention to and involvement in human well being -- individually and collectively -- varied across the ancient Near Eastern religious traditions. This comparative statement is, of course, is a confessional claim not a scholarly one. Their praise honors a God turned toward humans, in relationship with them and working on their behalf. The persons who receive divine attention are described, not surprisingly, as those working righteousness (verse 5a NRSV: "who gladly do right"). 

Elna K. Solvang, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=11/27/2011&tab=1

Isaiah 64:1-9 begins and ends with a request. The first request is that God would "tear open the heavens and come down...to make [God's] name known to [God's] adversaries" (64:1a, 2b). The offenders would experience the terror of God's mountain-quaking, fiery presence (verses 1b, 2a). 

Elna K. Solvang, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=11/27/2011&tab=1

The other day someone told me about a friend who had been asked to preach in the church of one of the famous television preachers whom millions watch every Sunday. On the way from the airport, the guest received these instructions: “People worship with us in order to feel good about themselves. Therefore, don’t mention the cross in your sermon. And don’t dwell too much on sin. And don’t mention the John Birch Society.” William Willimon, sermon "going against the Stream," as found on http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1445

Advent looks to the second coming of Christ, which means we encounter apocalyptic texts that prophesy about the end times.  sometimes the Advent image of waiting seems very distant from the secular approach to Christmas, which generally suggests getting to Christmas as quickly as possible.  but, as I read stories about Black Friday -- robbers shooting people in parking lots to steal the deals that had just purchased;  a woman pepper spraying people to ensure they did not get the item she wanted; people pushing and shoving down store aisles -- it sounded a bit to me like the apocalypse!  

When the Israelites heard Isaiah calling for God to come down, they could have connected that with the story told through the generations about God coming down and meeting Moses on Mt. Sinai.  In that instance, God brought the Ten Commandments for the people to follow.  how differently God came down in Christ.  

The Lectionarieers assign this reading because of Mark’s midrash on the first verse of chapter 64. The heavens being torn open is the image used at Jesus’ baptism and at his death when the curtain of the temple is torn open. Mark uses this image from Isaiah to say that God indeed has come down out of the Heavens and out of the Holy of Holies to be with God’s people. Mark narrates the coming of the Spirit and the death (and by implication the resurrection) of Jesus as the answer to this prayer put down long ago.  Russell Rathbun, http://thehardestquestion.org/yearb/advent1ot-2/

Reflections on "The Power of Love" I John 4: 7-13; I Samuel 18: 1-5

Okay, I really enjoyed the opening illustration.  It was fun to tell the story in the sermon, and it was fun to be reminded of the great time I had in SLC during the Clergy Renewal time (thanks again to Karl and his family for hosting me).  It was also very powerful to feel the mood in the sanctuary when the switch went from laughing at the story to "God loves you."  That silence suggested that it is probably something we need to hear more frequently.

The sermon would have been stronger, I think, if I had skipped the last point and instead spent more time preaching and giving examples about how to live our lives in the confidence of God's love.  It might also have been helpful to note that humility needs to be a part of that as well given that some in our world claim God's love in a proprietary sense that leads to exclusion of others or worse.

“the Power of Love” November 20, 2011; Christ the King; I John  4: 7-13; I Samuel 18: 1-5

Introduction: One of the really fun and interesting conversations I had while on clergy renewal took place with my friend Karl late one night at his home in Salt Lake City.

He and I not only have a shared history of playing soccer and living together in college, but we share several things in common in our own lives now: he has served as a Presbyterian elder; I am a Presbyterian minister. He coaches soccer; I referee soccer. He has two daughters in high school; I have two daughters in high school (plus and extra one in Jr. High). His oldest daughter has a boyfriend (at least in June); my daughters have boyfriends (at least some days!). He is in great shape and runs triathlons; I...well, we do not share everything in common. My point is that we can talk about stuff in the past or present and have a common worldview.

Long after his wife and kids had gone to bed, we were having one of those conversations where you can solve the problems of the world.

At some point, we began talking about what it was like raising daughters. We talked about the importance of figuring out how to make your daughter feel loved so that she does not seek love from the wrong types of guys (two fathers talking late, mind you). Karl begins to make the point quite forcefully that a father must not only love his daughter, but actually show it in front of the boyfriend. He tells me, “you have to hug your daughter in front of the boyfriend.” At this point, I'm thinking who I do in that regard. When's the last time I hugged my daughter in front of a boyfriend? I see the wisdom of his comment and begin to nod my head. As I begin to file the comment away under the category of modeling your love for your daughter so that she can gain confidence, Karl asks, "You know why it is so important for the boyfriend to see that you love your daughter?" Before I can respond with a comment about building confidence, he goes on, "Because the boyfriend has to know you love her so much that you'll come after him if he does anything to hurt her!" Thus the late night conversation turns to plotting like vigilantes against the boys who will date our daughters.
Move 1: We need to know that God loves us.

Let me move that from the general to the particular. You need to know that God love you.

a. not a new thought.

1. Hear it this morning as a strong reminder.
2. God loves you.
3. Do not hear it and shrug it off or dismiss it or think it's for someone else.
4. God loves you and that ought to be life-giving and life-changing.

b. what is the greatest love described in the biblical texts, outside of God's love for us?

1. Many would argue the love between Jonathan and David.

2. Jonathan, King Saul's son, and David, the shepherd boy brought in to be part of King Saul's court.

3. They define their love for each other in the covenant they make that binds them to each other.

4. The covenant goes like this: when Jonathan is in a position of power as King Saul's son, he will love, protect, look after David; in return, when David rises to power, he will love, protect, look after Jonathan.

5.The one in power commits to loving the one who is not in power and then one day the roles are reversed.

b. The Hebrew word for that covenant is also used to describe God's love for us.

1. But here's a major difference.
2. God knows that God will always be in a position of power relative to humanity. God will always be called on to love, protect, look after us.

3. we will never be in a position of power relative to God.
4. It's a one-sided covenant from the get-go.
5. And still God chooses to love us. To send Christ to live among us. To send Christ to die for us.
   d. If you want to know how much you are worth, do not look at your bank account, or your report card, or you job evaluation. Look to the cross to see how much value God has placed on you.

Move 2: We respond to God's love in how we live our own lives.

a. Back to the covenant between David and Jonathan.

1. David is a shepherd boy from the country who finds himself in the king's court.
2. Admittedly, David had courage and some ability as evidenced by his killing of Goliath.
3. But, now he finds himself in the shadow of King Saul
4. David ought to be afraid of of what King Saul can do to him.
5. The logical thing for David to do is run back to the the fields and look after the sheep.
6. Instead, David sticks around Saul's court; becomes a warrior;p continually avoids King Saul's wrath and plots to bring him down.
   c. How can David do this?
   1. In no small part, it is because of his covenant with Jonathan.
   2. IN very concrete ways, Jonathan will protect him.
   3. But more than that, I suspect that just knowing that Jonathan has his back, that Jonathan is looking after him, just knowing that, gives David the freedom and courage to act and grow into the leader God desires him to be..
   d. When we lay claim to God's love for us, it frees us to act with confidence and grow into the person God calls us to be.
   1. We spend to much time acting out of our uncertainties and our need to prove ourselves.
   2. how differently might we live our lives if we were not desperately trying to prove ourselves.
   3. Or if we acted out of self-confidence that did not need power, or prestige or control to make us feel good about ourselves?
   4. I suspect that many of the issues in our world today – both big and small – would become non-issues if people were not trying to prove themselves at the expense of others.

Not only does God love you, but you do not have to prove your worth, God has already done that for you.

Move 3: We also respond in how we love others.

a. I John

1. One of the letters to the early church.

2. Most letters of the early church have a common theme that the author is trying to get across.
3. Peter's letters – ethical living; those who follow Christ should live ethically.
4. Paul's letter – lots of doctrine stuff, but I think we could even ay that Paul's generally is writing about how the followers of Christ work out living in community.
   b. IN John's letters, John summarizes what it means to follow Christ in one word – love.
   
   
   5. not the noun “love,” as in some thing we have.
   
   
   6.  but the verb love, as in, “Since God loved us so much, we ought to love others.”

b. Christ models for us what it means to love.

1. If we want to know how to love best, we need only look to the how Christ lived.
2. On Christ the King Sunday when we acknowledge Christ sovereign reign over all the world, we recognize that Christ's royal manner defies the way most kings we know live.
3. A king at his best may feel some minor sense of obligation to the people in his kingdom;
4. Christ the king loves his the people of his kingdom so much, he dies for us.
5. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Rings and jewels are not gifts but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson; quoted in Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, John Wooden with Steve Jamison (11)

6. Jesus gives us more than a portion of himself, he gives all of himself on the cross.

100. Season of gift-giving.

1. Look for the perfect gift.

2. the only perfect gift is Christ's gift of himself.

3. how do we give the gift of ourselves?

4. Or as John might pose the question: “How do we love others?”

conclusion: What is the best gift a father could offer his daughter – to love her.

God has already given that gift to you.

"the Power of Love" I John 4: 7-13; I Samuel 18: 1-5

This is a left-over sermon idea from my Clergy Renewal series.  The thought grows out of a late night conversation with my friend Karl in Salt Lake City (my apologies in advance to Karl for how my retelling of the story may differ from his memory of the same conversation).  He and I not only have  shared history of playing soccer and living together in college, but we share several things in common in our own lives now: he has served as a Presbyterian elder; I am a Presbyterian minister. He coaches soccer;  I referee soccer.  He has two daughters in high school; I have two daughters in high school (plus and extra one in Jr. High).  His oldest daughter has a boyfriend (at least in June); my daughters have boyfriends (at least some days!).  He is in great shape and runs triathlons; I...well, we do not share everything in common.  My point is that we can talk about stuff in the past or present and have a common worldview.

We up really late one night (or should I say early morning).  We were telling stories that I hadn't even thought about in years.  We were solving the problems of the world.  At some point, we began talking about what it was like raising daughters.  We talked about the importance of figuring out how to make your daughter feel loved so that she does not seek love from the wrong types of guys (two fathers talking late, mind you).  Karl begins to make the point quite forcefully that a father must not only love his daughter, but actually show it in front of the boyfriend.  At this point, I'm thinking who I do in that regard.  When's the last time I hugged my daughter in front of a boyfriend?    I see the wisdom of his comment and begin to nod my head.  As I begin to file the comment away under the category of modeling your love for your daughter so that she can gain confidence, Karl asks, "You know why it is so important for the boyfriend to see that you love her?"  Before I can respond with a comment about building confidence, he goes on, "Because the boyfriend has to know you love her so much that you'll come after him if he does anything to hurt your daughter!"  Thus the late night conversation turns to plotting like vigilantes against the boys who will date our daughters.

Christ models for us what it means to love.  If we want to know how to love best, we need only look to the how Christ lived. On Christ the King Sunday when we acknowledge Christ sovereign reign over all the world, we recognize that Christ's royal manner defies the way most kings we know live.  A king at his best may feel some minor sense of obligation to the people in his kingdom; Christ the king so cares for the people of his kingdom, that he dies for us as an atonement for our sins.

What could a father do to impress upon a boyfriend that he loves his daughter (to build on the late night conversation)?  God decides that the only way to impress upon us how much God loves us was to send Christ to live among us and die for us.  Recognizing that great love God has for each of us ought to fill us with confidence and a sense of self-worth.  In coming in Christ, God has declared how much we are worth?  We are worth Christ's death on the cross.

I am reminded of a quote I ran across recently "Rings and jewels are not gifts but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson; quoted in Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, John Wooden with Steve Jamison (11)


The I Samuel passage tells part of the story of the love that was shared between Jonathan and David.  As I have mentioned before, this love is based on their commitment of the one who is in power to look after the one who is not in power.  That type of covenant of love is lived out in God's love for us. In the place of power, God continually chooses to look after us.  We, of course, never can return that love in the sense that we will never be in a position of power that is greater than God's power.  But, are there other ways we can return that love?


If you have a story about how you have experienced someone's love for you, please let me know.


Peace,


Richard

Reflections on "A Celebration" 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15; Psalm 145: 1-9

I didn't find this sermon particularly compelling.  The Psalm 145 play with "celebrate" had potential, but I probably should have focused more on that.  Of course, Paul's words are so rich and full of meaning, I could have spent the whole sermon on them.  In my initial brainstorming about the sermon (when I laid out the capital campaign sermons) the idea of celebration seemed fitting; by the time we got to this sermon, I'm not sure being tied to that theme was as helpful as another sermon might have been.

I have noticed that I have been using quite a few personal stories.  This trend began earlier in the fall when I was preaching sermons based on my experiences during the Clergy Renewal time.  I'm going to try and be more varied in my illustrations, although I already know that next week has a story from clergy renewal time.  I have never liked using generic illustrations, but I do not want to be telling personal stories all the time either.   

“A Celebration” Commitment Sunday; November 13, 2011; 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15; Psalm 145

Introduction: Today is November 13^th, which happens to be my Father's birthday. It's Dick C.'s birthday and his son came in from Chicago to be in worship with him on his birthday. I'm not doing quite as well in the son department – my father's birthday card was not mailed until yesterday and the present has yet to be mailed. Hopefully, we'll remember to call him and wish him happy birthday this afternoon (At least when he reads my preaching blog he'll know that I thought about his today).

Somewhere in TX, a celebration will take place with assorted siblings of mine and nieces and nephews gathering with my father to celebrate his birthday.

We know about celebrations. Times we gather to acknowledge that something special has happened, or to remember something special.

Today we have a celebration here at church. Part of the celebration involves making our commitments to our “shining Our Light” capital campaign and to the operating budget of 2012.

But after the Sanctuary service, let the Fiesta begin as we gather in the Social Hall for Mexican food and fellowship – a chance to celebrate together.

Move 1: We are celebrating because we have made our commitments.

a. It's done.

1.Okay, we know there will be some follow-up.

2. Thank you notes for your commitments or reminders if you have not committed.
3. Figuring out what projects to do based on what our commitments are.
4. Then watching as the projects take place.
   
   
   b. Our work is not really done, but we take this moment to stop and mark this time when we have made our commitments.

1. Acknowledge that we are part of this ongoing endeavor to be the body of Christ in downtown Troy.

2. to celebrate that that we have completed a capital campaign

A celebration to mark our commitment.

Move 2: We also celebrate because we have a chance to be the “cheerful giver” that Paul describes.

a. WE read in this portion of Paul's letter OT the Corinthians some of Paul's theology of giving.

1. We do not give out of compulsion, but we give cheerfully.

2. I remember a good friend sharing with me their stewardship story. They had decided on what they were going to pledge. It was a reluctant decision. Whatever had happened in their church's stewardship campaign, they felt pressured and the amount they were going to give was really a guilt offering.
They showed up at worship and the minister preached on this text. The friend told me that they heard “cheerful giver” as one more way to guilt them into giving, so the couple decided to reduce their pledge on the spot As she told me the she said, “The minister wanted me to be cheerful, so I lowered my pledge until I could be cheerful.”
Not exactly Paul's plan, I suspect. I might also add that this couple went on to become some of the biggest givers in the church. In retrospect, I think they needed to feel the freedom to give less so that they could be freed to actually give a quite a bit more each subsequent year.
b. I had the opposite experience during the first capital campaign I ever participated in at the church I served in KY. I had made a pledge, but the guest preacher was so inspiring that I upped our pledge by a $1,000 dollars (without telling my wife, mind you).
1. It really got me excited about giving and put a smile on my face.

2. It made me want to celebrate.

c. I hope that we celebrate today that we have made commitments that make us “cheerful givers.”
1. Givers who have know the rich bounty with which God has given to us.
2. Givers who respond by giving back abundantly.
We celebrate the opportunity to be cheerful givers.

Move 2: Celebration announces God's gifts

a. Typically, I think of celebration as having a inward/personal connotation for the person or group celebrating.

1. A birthday party celebrates the person who is a year older.

B. I find it fascinating that the Hebrew word for "Celebrate" used in Psalm 145 literally means to "pour forth." 

 1. The verse literally reads, "they shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness."

2. That context suggests that "celebrate" has an outward focus to it.
   
   
3. the story of God's abundant goodness gets shared with others.

4. In other words, when we celebrate our commitment to our place where people can gather to worship God, that is not just about us.

5. It is about the God whom we worship and sharing the good news we know about God's love with a world that needs to hear and experience that love.
   
   
6. WE are called to “pour forth;” to proclaim to the world the God to whom we make our commitment this day.
   
   
   Our celebration needs to announce to the world God's presence in our midst.

Move 4: Celebrate that we have this place to worship and serve God.

a. We have talked about the importance of place several times, so I won't belabor the point this morning.

1. But I would note that on Monday morning I experienced the power of place when I was back in Austin at the seminary I attended years ago.

2. We gathered in the chapel for worship to begin our Board meeting.

3. The chapel feels like a medieval place of worship. Really, it feels more like an Episcopal sanctuary than what I would think of as a Presbyterian sanctuary.
   
   
   4. there I sat, surrounded by students I did not know, some professors and board members that I knew, and many I did not know.

5. But in that place my mind wandered to the people with whom I had worshiped for three years of seminary; in that place I was reminded of professors who no longer were there, but whose imprint on me remains; in that place, I was reminded of how my sense of call was shaped by that worshiping community. In that place, I was challenged to look forward to how the God I discovered there in years past is still alive now.

b. It reminded me of the stories of I have heard from ya'll about this place.

1. I hear new members who talk about visiting and walking into our sanctuary or chapel and feeling this is the place I should be.

2. I hear members who have had to move away about how much they miss this place. And how when they think of church, the sanctuary or chapel, the place where they have gathered to worship God, comes to mind and comforts them.
   
   
   WE celebrate that we have this place to worship God.

Move 5: Some of us may not feel like celebrating today.

a. I'm thinking about those among us who are in the midst of struggles and uncertainties and can't find much to celebrate.

1. Issue at work.

2. Friends or family are serving in harm's way.

3. The uncertainties in life make it hard to celebrate.

b. If you are one of those people, I hope you know that when we celebrate today, we are doing so as a community of faith.

1. A community of faith made up of people who are at different stages in their lives.

2. A community of faith that invites all to share in its fellowship, even if you do not feel like celebrating.

3. In part, because we know that at some other time we may be the one who is unable to celebrate and will need others to do so for us.

4. But mostly because we know that we are in this together. That God has put each of us in this place to be together.
   
   
   So we celebrate together.
   
   
   Conclusion: Grandfather's birthday – did not know his actual date of birth; great flexibility - celebration could be whenever

What mattered was not the particular day of his birth, but the people who gathered to celebrate and the reason they gathered.

What matters today when we celebrate is the people who gather with us and the God to whom we make our commitments this day.